


Scratch and Sniff

by giggling_bubble



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Extra showers, F/M, Happy plagg, Identity Reveal, Its the little things, One-Shot, Oops, Scents & Smells, Self-Conscious, Smell conscious, Unwitting reveal, Why princess, You have some splainin to do honey, dumpster diving, out of time, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 16:45:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12324918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giggling_bubble/pseuds/giggling_bubble
Summary: A simple scratch here, a crash there, a happy Plagg in the dumpster, and a reveal later...they're finally where they are supposed to be.





	Scratch and Sniff

**Author's Note:**

> I have this posted on FFN, but decided it should be moved over.

It was a quiet evening in Paris. The sun was glistening off of the Eiffel with an almost iridescent green. The blue sky was filled with large, fluffy blankets of cotton candy colored clouds. In the distance a large flock of birds danced through the sky in an ethereal ballet. Sunlight bounced between the buildings leaving dark, towering shadows. There was a smell of Spring in the air.

To his left a young woman sat back on her elbows. The setting sun kissed her skin with a honey hue and gold glistened in her otherwise ebony locks. The blue of her eyes shone through holding their own against the sun; two sapphires with stars like the evening sky. Chat knew the stars would be twinkling soon, although, he wasn't sure they could compare with the ones in the eyes of his companion. A full moon was gently rising in the distance; large, round, and the color of fresh butter.

 _There is no way she could like me as much as I like her._  He ran a hand through his hair nervously. He could sit here all day, every day, just to see how the different light played on her face.

"So beautiful," she sighed looking out over the city.

Chat was just looking at her, "Absolutely."

"Silly kitty," she rolled her eyes. She grabbed his face gently and made him look out over the city, "There. Out there."

He gazed back at her, "Sometimes objects are closer than they appear."

Her sigh and laughter was enough to make him smile, "You are awful."

"Don't you mean paw-ful, my lady?"

"You're incorrigible," she sighed.

"Nope, in-pur-igible."

"STOP!" she whined.

A smirk graced his features as he gently lifted her hand to his lips, "As you wish."

He gasped as she pulled him towards her afterwards. He was always showing her affection. She reached up and scratched her fingers through his hair. He purred at her touch before she chuckled, "Go home, Chat! I'll see you tomorrow."

Ladybug headed home. If she'd turned around she would have seen a collapsed, lovesick Chat where she'd left him in a puddle on the roof.

"I love her," he sighed before heading home himself.

* * *

The next day, Adrien was exhausted when he got go school. His father had scheduled a late-night photo shoot to take advantage of the full moon. They started at ten and it went until two. He was exhausted. The worst part was he couldn't go to sleep. He tried, but the moon was so bright it blinded him through his windows. Earlier that day the housekeeping staff removed his window dressings. Horrible timing.

Marinette slept through her alarm. Her mother came upstairs to check on her and found her in her bed.

"Honey!" She shouted, "You're going to be late!"

Marinette slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed a bagel, and ran out the door. As she was running to school she began to care less about getting there on time and focused more on eating her bagel. She'd just have to be late.

As she was running up the stairs to the school, she dropped her bag with Tikki. Marinette gasped and swung around to catch it and keep it from bouncing too much. As she spun she completely lost her balance and prepared herself to fall down the stairs. Although, that didn't happen. She ran into something warm and they dropped to a thud on the first landing. It broke her fall, that was for sure, but she was too concerned for Tikki. She roamed her hands all over the ground, and under the person she was lying on tope of, to find her purse. He smelled strongly of spearmint and vanilla; she thought it was intoxicating, but couldn't dwell on it.

Adrien chuckled, "You could at least let me buy you dinner first." He looked up at a frantic Marinette, and held her little pink satchel in front of her face, "You dropped this." Their eyes connected and Marinette froze.

"Adrien?" she couldn't wrap her head around it. He was normally quite early. "Oh, gosh, are you OK?"

"I am fine. Are you?"

"Yes." Her eyes stared into his and they both seemed content to stare at each other until she heard a squeak. Adrien's eyes snapped away, too, as they both stiffened. It was short lived. He smiled, "I can't get up with you on top of me, Mari, and we're late."

She shook her head to clear it, which made her even more dizzy...or was that the vanilla and spearmint? Her eyes said she was sorry as she stood and offered him her hand to stand up. Marinette noted this was the way he smelled after being freshly showered. She'd never been that close to him while he was still damp before. She shuddered.

"What is so important in here?" he asked absentmindedly.

She snatched it out of his hand, "Never y-you mind." Then she smiled, "It's private."

Adrien nodded, but he really wanted to waggle his eyebrows at her and say _"Oh, yeah?"_  just to make her blush for him. Although, now, he was curious.

They headed into school together and the rest of the day was relatively uneventful. The evening patrol went as usual.

* * *

Marinette woke up to her alarm going off the next morning. She smacked it with her hand and sighed, but it didn't stop buzzing. Then Tikki flew in and got right up in her face, "Marinette, hurry. Akuma."

"Tikki, spots on," she said hopping out of bed. One leap later and she was out of her skylight and swinging across the city. There were sirens everywhere. They didn't sound like police sirens, but more like alarm clocks. Her eyes were peeled, but she couldn't see anything that screamed 'akuma.'

There was a blur of black to her left and she whipped around to catch sight of Cat gracefully leaping alongside her.

"Morning, m'lady," he winked, "Fancy seeing you here."

"Morning. Any sign of the akuma?"

"Nope. There were more sirens towards the Seine."

"Let's go," she led them down towards the Seine. Down by the water was a man sitting on a bridge. His head was a big bell and his chest had a large clock face on it. He kept saying, "I'm the Time Reg. I regulate the time. Give me your miraculouses." The man reared back and threw what looked like a large blob of green goop. It hit the car behind them and the lady screamed as it drove off quickly. She had been sped up. Marinette's eyes widened. He could speed them up even more? What purpose would that serve?

"Why would it matter?" she asked.

Chat's eyes widened, "It would exhaust our miraculouses."

"No," she shook her had, "Surely not."

"Let's not find out. Don't get hit," he smiled, but there was no humor behind it.

They noticed his watch on his left hand was busted. Ladybug was SURE the miraculous was there, but she couldn't get close without getting caught up in that green goop.

"I'll get it," Chat volunteered, "Honestly, if you can just get me out fast enough..." She might be able to get him away before he detransformed; or maybe she'd be the only one to see him transform. Her pulse picked up at the thought of it.

"Yes. Let's try," she called for her lucky charm and a large blanket dropped on top of her. "A blanket? What do I do with a blanket?" She looked around really quick to try and see what she could use a blanket for. That's when she realized that she could drape it over Chat when he went flying towards the Time Reg. "Worth a shot."

She draped the blanket over him and then launched him towards the akuma victim. He slammed into him with a force, which knocked the blanket off, but he was able to cataclysm the watch. "Bug!" he shouted as he realized he'd been caught up with some of the slime on the guy's body.

"Chat..." she hurried to de-evilize the akuma, but she had to throw the lucky charm to get everything back to normal. They didn't have any time to find out if they could comfort the victim. She knew the goop had sped up his transformation when she heard his final beeps. She hastily threw the blanket over him and ran as fast as she could. She made it all the way to the dumpster storage behind their school and dropped in. There was a flash of green as his transformation wore off. "You're no longer Chat, but I need the blanket. I have to cleanse everything."

"Do it," he said. Ladybug felt trepidation. She closed her eyes and took the blanket off of him. She threw it up into the air and yelled, "Miraculous Ladybug." The ladybugs flew out and went around fixing everything. Although, now they were in a dumpster storage space and there was no way in or out without a key to the locks on the gate.

"Crap," Ladybug sighed, "This wasn't the greatest idea."

Adrien sighed, "Don't worry, Ladybug. I'm not afraid. You can look."

Ladybug didn't want to look. "I'll get us out. Hide in a dumpster. I'll be right back."

Plagg had already flown into a dumpster. He smelled cheese. "Plagg!" Adrien called out, "Plagg, where are you?" He found the dumpster his kwami was swimming in and climbed in after him. "Yuck, this smells disgusting." He could hear Plagg chewing.

"Delicious," Plagg sighed, "Just delicious."

"You are a repulsive little creature," Adrien sneered at his kwami and squirmed. "Gross."

Ladybug came back and called, "Chat?"

"Yeah!" he tapped the dumpster.

"I'm going to leave the gate unlocked and you can follow after me. Okay? I have to go. My miraculous is beeping at me."

"Til next time, my lady," he called, "Au revoir."

* * *

Sitting in her garden gave Marinette a lot of time to think. It was a Saturday and she'd had a rather eventful day already. Her parents were catering a special event a couple hours south and wouldn't be back home this evening. Marinette wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad about being alone tonight. That was until she saw a black cat go swinging past her terrace.

"Chat!" she called and waved.

He landed on her terrace and smiled, "My purrincess, what are you doing out on this feline night?"

She rolled her eyes, "Hoping to catch a glimpse of you on patrol."

He smiled, "Ah, yes, it was my night."

Marinette worried her bottom lip. She knew that, but he didn't know that she knew that. Thankfully, he didn't notice.

"How was your day?" She asked because she was genuinely curious how it went after she left him.

He put a hand on his hip and grinned, as if he were about to say something witty, but he frowned and shook his head, "It was awful. I ended up in a garbage bin." Marinette's eyes widened, even though she knew, and chuckled. "Yeah, no, it was disgusting. I smelled like rotted cheese and rancid milk. Blech. I think I took about five showers and I can't get that smell out of my nose." He sat there for a second and he got a mischievous gleam that sparkled just behind his eyes.

"Chat...Chat...?" Marinette began to back away slowly. She was putting potted plants between her and him. She knew that look, "What are you thinking? I don't like that look..."

Chat vaulted towards her, a predatory smile on his face, "I just want to smell you..." He jumped at her and she jumped back with a squeal. She dodged him and ran across the roof. He jumped back towards her, growling, "Stand still...and you smell me." He jumped at her once more and he grabbed her firmly around the waist.

"Chat, NO! I don't want to smell you."

"Please?!" The look on his face made her soften towards him. He looks genuinely concerned. She hadn't taken him for the image conscious type.

"OK, I'll smell you," she sighed, resigned. Chat turned her around to face him.

Marinette buried her face in his neck, not really wanting to smell him, but figured she'd better treat it like a bandaid and just do it. She breathed in and she froze...spearmint and vanilla.  _Adrien._

"What? Is it that bad?" He asked concerned, "I swear. I scrubbed everything, everywhere, and least four times."

Marinette didn't move. He held her away from him to look into her eyes and what he found there made his heart ache. Her bottom lip was quivering, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and she was staring at him in shock. He was on her balcony calling her princess. Yet, at school they didn't even talk to each other. Dare she hope...?

"I'm sorry, are you upset I was so pushy?" His ears drooped. He was perplexed. What happened?

Marinette's knees were weak and her heart was pounding clear up to her ears. All of a sudden she was aware of how much he had touched her, and how, and she blushed. She had to get to the bottom of this, to be sure, 

"Come with me." Marinette grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards her room. He followed, but slowly, as he felt like his legs were suddenly full of lead. She turned to face him, "Why do you call me your princess?"

She needed to know before she showed him. She needed to know that, if he really were Adrien, he wouldn't think any differently of Marinette, because, in truth, they didn't really know each other _that_ well.

"I..." he paused, thoughtfully, and very uncharacteristically Chat. He  _was_ Adrien. "You're sweet and spunky. You're talented, smart, and beautiful! You're everything I would want my princess to be."

A tear rolled down Marinette's splotchy cheek. How many times had she dreamed of this boy saying those exact things about her? Too many. It felt too good to be true.

She'd been looking away, too shy to look at him, until he lifted her face to his. Their eyes locked with each other and she couldn't look away. She was just thankful he had a good hold of her or she'd have fallen over. She felt him lift his hand to caress her cheek and wipe the tear away with his thumb. "Adrien," she whispered and another tear fell. A sob escaped her lips. It was him and he thought those things about her. She could hardly believe it.

Chat stiffened and his heart sped up. She had whispered it so quietly, but there was no way he could be mistaken she'd said his name. "How...?"

Her eyebrow rose in incredulity, "Vanilla and spearmint." Then she gave him her best eye roll at the shear ridiculousness of it all. 

Chat opened his mouth, but shut it again. A doofy smile came over his face as he bopped her nose, "smart." Then he beamed, "and I don't stink like garbage!" He cheered.

Marinette giggled, which brought him right back to her. She became contemplative and scrunched her lips up, "You don't talk to me and I sit behind you every day."

"You always avoid me," he gazed down at the ground sadly. She could tell he was still a bit conflicted about that.

She smiled, "I'm nervous around you. Don't you ever get nervous?"

Chat squirmed, "Believe it or not, this mask gives me magical confidence and courage."

She sighed heavily and stared up into his eyes, "That's good...because you're gonna need it."

The knowing nod of her head was a bit intimidating as cocked his head to one side, "What makes you say that?"

Marinette whispered, "Tikki." In a blinding flash of pink light, Chat closed his eyes, and returned to find Ladybug standing where Marinette had been, in his arms.

His eyes widened like they'd fall out of his head, "You...you're..."

"I don't think I've ever seen you speechless, Chaton."

Chat gaped, his jaw slack, and she reached up to close it.

"Say something," she prompted. Standing there, in front of him, completely vulnerable, made her want to run away with each passing second.

"NO WAY!" He grabbed two fist fulls of his hair and immitated a bomb exploding, "Marinette, why didn't you tell me I was in love with you?" She blushed furiously, her hands clasped over her face, and she buried her head in his chest. He squeezed her gently, reassuringly. "No, really. Princess. Beautiful Lady."

"Stop," she grumbled against his chest.

"I want you to be mine, Marinette," he wrapped his arms around her fully and hummed, "I'm hopelessly dependent on your happiness. Say something, please?"

She peeked up at him shyly, and smiled, "I'm so glad you're still Chat."

"What?"

"I don't stumble over my words with Chat," she giggled.

Adrien smirked, "Yeah, I noticed. Why is that?"

"Well, if you looked like yourself, without the mask, I'd still be a stuttering mess. My eyes are harder to convince that you're you."

"Do you want me to-"

"NO!" she exclaimed. Quickly, she clamped her hand over her mouth so not to wake her parents in case they had gotten home during their rendezvous on the balcony, "No. I don't think I could look at you."

"Why not?" he pouted.

"Uh," she chuckled nervously, "I'm...nervous around you."

He nodded, "Yes, I know." The smile that crossed his face was all Adrien and Ladybug felt her voice shake. "You are still Ladybug."

She smiled, "I know. Another reason I haven't melted into a puddle." He began laughing at her and she punched him lightly in the shoulder, "It's not funny."

"It is," he nodded, "I've felt like that the whole time we've been standing here. I'm mentally cheering and losing my mind; don't let this brave facade fool you." His wink made her giggle.

"I've been fawning over you for years," she admitted with a blush rising over her cheeks.

He leaned down to whisper, "Want to know a secret? Me, too."

"On ME?!" she chirped, "Ladybug or Marinette?"

He chuckled and reached up to scratch the back of his neck, "Both?" He sighed, "And don't think I didn't feel guilty. I was so confused."

"We're big idiots."

"The biggest," he agreed.

They stood there silently holding each other for a moment. Ladybug was resting her head on Chat's chest and had her arms tightly wrapped around his torso. There was a flash of green light as Chat dropped his transformation. Ladybug kept her eyes closed tight for fear she'd lose all her nerve to hold him like this.

"Eww, yuck, get a room," Plagg screeched.

There was a flash of pink light and Ladybug dropped her transformation.

Tikki got up in Plagg's face, "They ARE in her room, you goof!"

Adrien chuckled, "I like your Kwami."

"I like yours, too," she nodded, her eyes still tightly closed.

"Hey, can you look at me?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly, "I'm not sure if I can."

"I'm still the same person, though," he assured, "I just happen to be a whole lot wiser." He rested his cheek on the top of her head and squeezed her gently, "You don't have to worry about me changing my mind. What you really have to worry about is getting me to leave."

"I don't consider you staying a problem."

"Then look at me," he whispered, "Please? I want to see your beautiful blue eyes."

Marinette leaned back, eyes still shut, and opened them to look up at him. There was Adrien staring back and she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her throat or the tears that were pooling in her eyes. She was surprised to see such emotion, like nothing she'd ever seen, on the face of the boy standing in front of her. There were tears in his eyes, too, and an adoring smile on his face.

"I love you," he whispered, unable to contain it. He leaned down to rub their noses. He gasped when Marinette closed the distance and brought their lips together in their first real kiss. As their eyelids closed they both saw fireworks. Adrien wrapped his hand behind Marinette's head and held her to him. She moaned gently into his mouth and he groaned in response. Their lips parted and they let their tongues gently dance against each other.

When they pulled away to breathe, Marinette buried her head in Adrien's neck and squealed excitedly, "I love you so stinking much!"

He pulled back to look at her, playfully frowning, "You said I don't stink."

"If you stunk, I wouldn't have kissed you."

There was a glint in his eyes, "I think you would have."

"I absolutely would have."

With that, he scooped her up and they went to snuggle on her bed. They laid there talking throughout the night. There was no where they needed to be, not that night or the next day, and they were going to take full advantage of each other's company. It was after only a few moments they realized they knew so little about each other besides the fact they were completely, and utterly, in love. They mutually felt they were making up for lost time and intended to spend many more nights just like this one. Although, they both hoped, in the future, they'd have nights with a bit less talking.


End file.
